Mouldy Orange

A Story by angela

This a story I wrote back in 2022, the prompt was a zoomed in picture of an orangey fruit. It is about a microorganism living on a mouldy orange.

Mouldy Orange

I’ve never truly thought about what I was meant to do in life. Maybe it was just to simply live. Nothing less, nothing more. Sort of depressing to think about honestly, but life keeps moving forward.

Life wasn’t always this dreadful though. Believe it or not I was once a cute little baby. Grew up in a small, quaint town full of wonderful people. Then, a few weeks passed and things started to change. From the pungent smell of citrus filling the air to a putrid scent polluting every air molecule in sight. To make things even worse, fuzzy green bits started to grow everywhere, and I mean everywhere. From the mountains to even my bed, everything in town was completely covered in this fuzz. Soon enough, it became almost unliveable. I needed to find a way to escape this prison, but how?

I could try jumping off but so many things could go wrong. Like, what if I fall on something hard? “Splat!” That would be the way I’d die. The only other way I could think of was if I went through the maze of suffocation. I’m not quite sure why it’s called that but it’s probably for a good reason. Whatever the reason may be it gives me a slim chance of hope and freedom. So, I pack my bags and set off.

Leaving my hometown wasn’t very easy though. I mean, I grew up there, I had my best memories there and leaving it behind…it was just, never a thought I had. Many tears were shed, but I had to keep on going. To have a better life and keep those memories alive.

I walk for a few hours and see beautiful sights I never thought possible. Or they would be beautiful if they weren’t covered in fuzz. After what feels like forever I finally reached the entrance of the maze. The maze is made of greenish, greyish fuzz. The same fuzz that appears in my mind every time I dare to close my eyes. The walls were enormous. Twice as tall as the mountains I saw a few hours prior. Inside the maze there is little to no light. You don’t know what could pop up at every corner, at every crevice. Just the thought of something living there makes my skin crawl. All of the courage I once had starts to subside. I don’t know if I can do it anymore. Just then, I remember what I am fighting for. A basic need. Cleanliness. I deserve this and I will do whatever it takes to achieve it. As I take one step in…

“Ew mum the orange is turning mouldy” the small child reports.

“Yes dear, could you please throw it out?” the adult politely asks.

“Okay mum!”

I feel like the whole planet is moving. What is happening? I’m being tossed around like I’m in a pinball machine. This is absurd. Suddenly I am pushed off of my planet by pure force and tossed into a black bag. I’m free! Oh! I’m free! Finally! Tears of joy run down my face. Everything I have ever dreamed of! It’s coming to reality!

It’s been a few days and being free is kind of boring. There’s not much to do. Lately I’ve just been well, doing nothing. I just lay in my DIY bed and sit with my thoughts all day. Maybe being in that “prison” wasn’t so bad…